Presentation tech remains a major hurdle for businesses

Vanson Bourne and Barco ClickShare conducted global research to investigate the extent to which businesses are future proofing their IT across the US, UK, France, and Germany, and to explore whether a digital skills gap persists among the workforce.

The study debunks the myth that tech issues are only associated with the Baby Boomer generation (55+), and shows a lack of digital skills across the business, with over 6 in 10 (66 per cent) of IT decision makers claiming that Generation X or Millennials (25-54 years olds) ask for the most assistance.

The findings reveal that presentation technology is the top reason why employees call on IT assistance, showing a clear need for change around presentation delivery among millennials and Generation X.

Barco ClickShare collaborated with leading technology pioneer and data scientist Inma Martinez to understand the reason behind why millennials and Generation X ask for support. Inma believes that the answer is simple: a lack of digital skills across the workforce.

“Both groups don’t fully understand how desktop computers connect to other devices and have limited knowledge around network infrastructure,” says Inma. Inma argues that millennials face issues because they are “short-term oriented” and expect the same seamless user experience that they are given with mobile applications.

When asked about Generation X, Inma says that they require support because they were not born within a digital age, and have become alienated. This age group finds it difficult to connect between machines and do not understand basic network infrastructure, resulting in an experience of “digital frustration.”

Worryingly, this is having an impact on business productivity, with 7 in 10 (70 per cent) IT respondents reporting that presentation tech issues cause disputes between colleagues over who is to blame, postponed or cancelled presentations (75 per cent), and damage to business reputations (50 per cent).

So how can companies overcome presentation tech issues to prevent an impact to the bottom line?

Six in 10 (60 per cent) respondents believe that the deployment of technology that is quick and easy to set up is essential. In addition, over five in 10 believe that using devices that are wireless (54 per cent), and compatible with any device (51 per cent), will ensure presentations run smoothly.

By harnessing the power of easy to use technology, presentation issues can be a thing of the past enabling IT departments to concentrate on driving efficiencies across the business. At the same time, employees do not need to have time intensive training to use new tools making on-boarding across all levels of the workforce a simple task.